Dudley the Dragon
The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon is a children's television series which aired in Canada on YTV and the United States on public television stations, through Tampa, Florida PBS member station WEDU. The show ran for five seasons from 1993 to 1997. It was a live-action show incorporating actors, full-body costume characters (notably the titular dragon) and puppets. The story follows Dudley, a dragon who recently woke up from centuries of hibernation and his new ten-year-old friends Matt and Sally. The two kids would guide Dudley around the modern world and the trio would learn about environmentalism, friendship, and pro-social values. History with the Macy's Parade Two years after the inception of The Ad''ve''ntures of Dudley the Dragon, PBS partnered with Macy's to help produce a giant helium balloon of the titular character, Dudley the Dragon. In August of 1995, Manfred Bass, then-head Parade designer, started sketching concepts for the balloon after watching clips and looking at pictures of Dudley. Once the design was finalized, Macy's worked closely with PBS executives as they molded clay onto a steel armature, resulting in a final scale model of the Dudley balloon. After seaming together miles of seams and painting the 68-foot tall dragon, Dudley crossed the Hudson River, arriving incognito for his test flight. At this test flight, he was flown with two White Macy's Stars. Weeks later, Parade day had arrived. Hopes were high for the Dudley balloon, as a special segment was produced for The Today Show, featuring Dudley go from a pencil drawing to a giant balloon. This excitement, however, was short-lived. Due to an accident (read below), Dudley had to be deflated and removed from the Parade. This makes him one of the only three units, with the others being the Blue Holiday Ornament, and as of now, Love Flies Up to the Sky, to never make it to Herald Square. A year after the incident, Jean McFadden confirmed that Dudley would be a no-show for the Parade's 70th Anniversary. When asked why, McFadden responded "We wanted to find the balloons that the kids love the most," she said. Despite a promise to bring him back in 1997, the Dudley balloon would lay dormant in the Parade Studio for good, after his show ended that same year. Sometime in 2011, when the Parade Studio was moving to a new location, many balloons were disposed of, with Dudley being one of them. Due to the extreme obscurity of his show, it is very unlikely that Dudley will return for another parade. Incident * Mere moments after the Dudley balloon had stepped off at Central Park West and 77th Street, wind wreaked havoc. A sharp crosswind blew Dudley into a lamppost, showering the crowd below with glass, leaving one person with minor injuries. The balloon rapidly lost helium and was eventually removed around Columbus Circle. He was discretely deflated and shipped back to the Parade Studio. After the accident, his handlers would go their separate ways and help out Betty Boop and The Pink Panther. Trivia * Dudley, along with the first Ronald McDonald, have models that were constructed without their three balloons, most likely because they were just spheres and not complex shapes. Also, he, the first Ronald McDonald, and Olive Oyl are the only giant balloons designed to be holding some balloons. * Dudley was originally scheduled to be back in the 71st Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2 months after the show's ending on September 13th of that year, but it didn't happen. * Dudley is the youngest known balloon to not exist anymore. Gallery Gallery: Dudley the Dragon Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:1995 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Retired Balloons Category:1990s Balloons Category:Male Balloons Category:Raven Aerostar Balloons Category:Balloons that were in an accident Category:Balloons that no longer exist Category:Balloons that got removed from the parade Category:TV Characters